In the Fall of 2186CE the galaxy is under siege. Despite the attack on the Citadel 3 years before by the Reaper Sovereign and the geth, the galaxy at large turned a blind eye to Sovereign’s true nature, quickly brushing aside claims of it being a Reaper in favour of claiming the massive warship was nothing more than a highly-advanced geth Dreadnought. While denying the truth brought temporary comfort to those confronted by the implications of what Sovereign represented, it was three short years before the Reapers returned for the first time in 50,000 years, immediately conquering batarian space and proceeding to spread throughout the galaxy with terrifying speed and efficiency. Within a matter of weeks, almost every major system in the galaxy was facing the overwhelming might of the Reapers, and with it, the impending extinction of every advanced civilization in the galaxy.

With millions dying every day and entire military regiments being systematically destroyed in single battles, the entire galaxy is in peril on a scale previously unimaginable. With nothing less than extinction at stake, every race is putting aside ancient grudges to survive. Krogan warriors move to act as shock troopers to relieve their arch enemies turned reluctant allies, the 3-century old animosity between the quarians and geth has ended in a truce with their fleets and ground forces now diverted to aid the rest of the galaxy instead continuing their personal war, and even the surviving batarians are lending what remains of their fleet to fight alongside their human enemies. However, it isn’t enough. Reaper forces advance steadily by the day and every minor victory against the armada is dashed against the unrecoverable gains the Reapers make. While plans are put in motion to work on a secret project to stop the Reapers, most fighting are unaware of its existence. For them, their world is shrunk to the desperate battles on once thriving worlds, hope fleeting against the uncountable casualties the Reapers claim each day. All that matters are the men and women that they stand shoulder to shoulder with, throwing everything they have at their enemy just to survive another day. Sometimes, there’s daring victories against impossible odds that inspire all forces in the theater, however more often than not, a squad will depart to the front lines and never be heard from again.

On the thriving garden world of Nevos, allied forces from across the galaxy have joined offensives across the world in a desperate attempt to save the population and invaluable technology and other resources that can’t afford to be lost to the Reapers. While the Reapers may be widespread, there’s still room to breathe for the time being for the beleaguered forces fighting there. Whole units are wiped out, and the survivors often have to regroup with the tattered remains of other units, sometimes not even of their own species. Amidst the forests and broken cities, one such unit has arisen that with their various expertise, skills and experience from different cultures and worlds may stumble across a way to turn the tide, or perish amongst the endless names of the lost.

This squad, formed out of necessity and struggling against increasingly impossible odds, knows that time is running out for Nevos. Each day, the Reaper presence grows and there are fewer and fewer people to fight them. In the struggle, a hope emerges; Project Crucible. This final gambit, a legacy of the Protheans as a means to defeat the Reaper menace once and for all with a weapon of unimaginable power, is nearing completion and only requires a little more time – and a crucial piece of the puzzle. Soon, orders come detailing a science team trapped far behind enemy lines with a vital Prothean data cache that may be the key to completing the final stages of Project Crucible. The costs of this operation may be great, but the consequences of failure are even greater as they race against time, and forces other than the Reapers.

This is their story.
_ _ _ _ _

​

Never before have so many come together from all quarters of the galaxy. But never before have we faced an enemy such as this. The Reapers will show us no mercy; we must give them no quarter. They will terrorize our populations; we must stand fast in the face of that terror. They will advance until our last city falls, but we will not fall. We will prevail. Each of us will be defined by our actions in the coming battle. Stand fast. Stand strong. Stand together. Hackett out.​

Welcome to Mass Effect: Defiance, my third Mass Effect group RP over my roleplaying years that have typically been small group affairs following the adventures of mercenary teams scraping by in a galaxy that largely doesn’t know they exist; this game is going to be a bit different. The scope is larger and for once, I’m not putting a player limit on this one. That’s right! An enthusiastic, charming, and creative person stumbles upon this well into its life is more than welcome to apply! Neat, huh?

While the premise of this story is hardly the most creative I’ve conjured, think of it as a loose framework to establish a setting more so than a concrete plot. A major inspiration for this game is stories like Band of Brothers where it tells the story of a group of people living through extraordinary circumstances and building a bond that transcends a common cause. The roleplay will also going to explore some horror themes, given the dark nature of the Reapers. While they have always been unnerving and straight-up body horror, this RP will strive to present the Reaper forces and more than cannon fodder and present the twisted nature behind the horrifying creations that is implied by their existence. While Shepard and friends arrived on the scene after the worst had happened and left before they could witness people they know get turned, the characters in this RP will experience loss and the fear of what happens to those who are captured by the Reapers. People they failed to protect will come back to haunt them in the most unnerving way possible, and the memories of squad mates swarmed by Cannibals aren’t soon going to be forgotten.

This RP will start off on Nevos, an asari world that’s known as a tropical paradise, so picture if you will a tourist resort world that just got struck by the most devastating war in recorded history. As it progresses, there will be difficult choices and encounters as well as more enemies than just the Reapers, one of which who will be Cerberus, as well as another faction (or more) that will be revealed as the plot carries on. Should this game carry on long enough, there is a chance it will progress to the final battle on Earth and beyond, where old animosities that were set aside for the war will re-emerge and loyalties will be tested. In short, it’s going to be ripe with conflict and excellent character moments.

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